New Threat
by Dr. Magic PhD
Summary: Season 2 Premiere of the 'Complete' Series: Jimmy, Matt, and Wesley are back for another year of supernatural mayhem! They're welcomed back to school by a new kind of demon who has new tricks up his sleeve...
1. Welcome Back!

_Hi, everybody! It's me, Dr. Magic. It's been a long time, huh? Well, hopefully I'm back on the task of writing stories. I had a nice break, though. I went to China for a couple of weeks with some friends. Almost died in a car accident there, but God was on my side and we all walked away with minor cuts and injuries. But enough about me! It's the second season of my 'Complete' series! How exciting is that! For a while I thought I was gonna quit after the first season was over, but I couldn't do that to y'all! Hopefully y'all haven't forgotten about me! Here's the first chapter! I'm posting it way earlier than I thought, so maybe it'll force me to get back into writing!_

* * *

An overwhelmingly glorious golden sun and sapphire-colored sky met Matthew as he made his way outside Oxford's library and past a few other students who were on the campus. He had a smug smile on his face as he admired how wonderful the weather was despite being in the middle of a painfully hot and humid summer in Atlanta. He had spent the bulk of his summer vacation in Philadelphia, where he lived before coming to Oxford College. He decided to come back to Georgia slightly earlier than normal for multiple reasons, most notably to see his brothers again; after all, he had only met them a mere year ago and they had become very close, especially considering what they all had in common.

Only a year ago, he and his brothers, older James and younger Wesley, had come from three different walks of life and were brought together by their destiny, their magical destiny. Hundreds of years ago, the three of them had been chosen to protect the world as the Complete, the three most powerful good witches the world would ever know. Along with his brothers, Matthew was granted magical powers to aid him in fulfilling his destiny. While James had the offensive ability to move things with his mind and Wesley had the defensive ability to stop time, Matthew, as the most balanced middle sibling, possessed the medial ability to phase, that is, he could alter his body density to the point where he could literally pass through objects, or to the point where he could become as solid as steel.

Days like this one just had a way of making all the hustle and bustle of life worth living, and Matthew was definitely making the most of such a rare day. He strolled across the Quadrangle to his "borrowed" car; his car had been put in the shop due to what he called "excessive strain," but was actually caused by a demon attack, which had become more of a routine than a random event. Besides, James wouldn't mind.

His stomach directed him to the nearest eatery, which was on campus. He made his way to it, The Ox, and bought a hefty lunch: a double patty melt with everything, a large order of fries, a large soda, and potato chips. To Matthew, it was a regular meal; to anyone else it may have qualified as a feast. After he settled at a quiet spot outside, he put his backpack down and pulled out an oversized book that contained all of William Shakespeare's plays, having to constantly deal with the breeze that picked up every now and then.

Suddenly, a pair of hands clasped around Matthew's eyes, completely cutting off his vision. The hands were accompanied by a deep voice that sent a slight shudder down Matthew's spine.

"Time to die," the voice boomed quietly in Matthew's ear.

Matthew, taken by surprise, had dropped his book and as it plummeted to the ground, his instincts kicked in almost immediately. His years of training as a boxer had given him a heightened awareness of things, as well as increased reaction time. Matthew leaned back and grabbed his assailant's arms, twisting them so that they no longer covered his eyes. With a swift and forceful movement, Matthew tossed his assailant into the air so that they could meet face to face. Before Matthew could see who it was, though, all he could see was a shower of blue and white lights that bounced along the ground before forming the image of a person.

"Wesley!" Matthew said in a combination of surprise, annoyance, and concern. "I could've seriously hurt you. What are you doing here?"

"I just came in a little while ago," Wesley replied, rubbing his behind as he sat up on the ground. "Nice drive, but I would've preferred to take the easy way back, if you know what I mean."

"Speaking of that," Matthew said, switching into a big brother mode, "you know you can't use your powers in public. What if somebody saw you do that? We can't risk getting exposed."

"Well I didn't _plan_ it to happen," Wesley claimed. "I still can't control it. If you wanna blame anybody, blame yourself."

"Good to see you at any rate," Matthew said.

"I know," Wesley said as he hugged his brother. "How have you been? How's Jimmy?"

"I'm fine," Matthew answered, "and so is Jimmy. I've been back here for a few days. I wanted to get ahead a little bit in my English classes, since I'm taking a heavy load this year."

"Why?" Wesley asked.

"If I get most of the English classes out of the way here," Matthew reasoned, "then it'll be easier when I get to the main campus."

"English majors," Wesley said with mock disgust.

"We can't all be Psychology majors," Matthew shot back.

"So," Wesley said, abruptly changing the subject, "how do you think this year's gonna be, with things being the way they are?"

"What do you mean?" Matthew asked.

"I mean magically," Wesley explained. "Think we can stay alive another year?"

"Are you tempting fate on purpose?" Matthew asked. "Besides, if you would go with the flow and get a cell phone then you wouldn't always be so behind the times."

"I take offense to that," Wesley said. "I subscribe to _Day Old News_, not _Behind the Times_. Cell phones are the devil, anyway."

"Says you," Matthew said.

"Yeah, says me," Wesley confirmed.

"Oh crap!" Matthew shouted, looking at his watch. "I need to go! I have an interview for an internship at this company. I can't be late! Sorry to cut this short, but I'll see you later!"

"Wait!" Wesley yelled after Matthew. "Are you going in shorts and a t-shirt?"

"I have clothes in the back of the car," Matthew shouted back. "Wish me luck!"

"Good luck," Wesley said, looking down at Matthew's food. "At least I get a free lunch, or some chips and fries."

* * *

_Ahh, the dreaded few days before classes start! I remember those days well! What's goin' on with everybody? Y'all will have to wait to find out!_


	2. Running Late

_I can tell that it's gonna be a little bit before I can get back into the full swing of things, but don't give up on me! I've got a concert that I'm putting on this weekend, so most of my time is being spent working on that! You see, folks, when you have a job as easy as mine, you end up with a lot of free time to do extracurriculars. Oh well, that's life, I guess…_

_**chyp: **Hey! Haven't heard from you in a while! I'm glad you're still sticking with me! But what happened to your story? I see that you took it down…aww! In the words of my students, 'never give up.'_

_**Raya:** My girl! Long time, no…write…? That sucks about college, but as long as you keep your head up, you'll be able to get to anywhere you wanna go. It happened for me, and it will happen to you. Just in case, though, I'll light a candle for you tonite! A friend of mine always did that for me for some reason…_

* * *

"James Armstrong!" James yelled over the phone.

"Jane Arthur?" the operator on the other side asked.

"No!" James said. "I said…James Armstrong! You know, James! J-A-M-E-S."

"James," the operator confirmed.

"Right," James said. "And Armstrong. A-R-M-S-T-R-O-N-G."

"Oh, Armstrong," the operator said.

"Yes," James said, obviously annoyed, "like Neil Armstrong."

"Who?" the operator asked.

"You don't know who Neil Armstrong is?" James asked, rubbing his hand in frustration. "You know what? Never mind. Okay, bye."

He slammed the phone down and let out an exasperated sigh of utter annoyance. He pretended to pull out his dark blond hair and walked into the kitchen to get a snack. After being on the telephone with an inept operator for over an hour, he needed something to eat…and drink. He threw a sandwich together and grabbed a beer and walked to the table in the living room of the huge house that had been left to him and his brothers.

Shortly after coming into contact with his actual birth parents, James found out that he had two younger siblings and that the three of them were the Complete. That same day, he was a first hand witness to a demon killing his parents, taking away his only chance to get to know them. He had graduated from Oxford College three months ago and was about to begin his junior year at the larger and distant Emory University, where Oxford graduates automatically matriculated. However, after discovering his magical destiny, he and his brothers, who were still sophomores at Oxford, had decided to all move into the house their parents had willed to them. It was somewhat midway between the two campuses, which provided some sort of compromise.

"Matt!" he shouted. "Matt are you in here somewhere?"

He had been asking the same question for quite a while, but it had clearly been proven that Matthew was not anywhere around. He needed a car to get to the power company and taking the required highly intricate series of buses would take so long, the place would be closed way before he got there. Matthew should have been home a long time ago, he thought as he kept looking at his watch.

* * *

Matthew drove down the highway very slowly; he used his knees to steer the car while he changed his shirt and fixed his tie. He thought that it was very impressive that he had been able to change clothes while driving, but was slightly annoyed that no one else could bear witness to it. He didn't include the many drivers who constantly honked their horns at him, willing him to speed up.

As he combed his dark brown hair, he exited off the highway and turned onto a smaller street, Burdett Street. He glanced at the directions he had printed and later turned onto an even smaller street, Peony Way. It was only two lanes; one going and the other coming. Somehow, he had gone from an overcrowded highway to a tiny road where he was the only one on it.

He was on the verge of being late, so he pushed a little more on the gas, but had to slam on the brakes as the upcoming traffic signal turned red. No one else was on the road; why did the light have to turn red? As he impatiently waited for a green light, something he saw out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He saw a woman, no, a little girl, running from a rather shady looking fellow. What caught his attention was the fact that the two of them seemed to come from nowhere in particular; they just appeared! In fact, the little girl seemed to be "zipping" from place to place, moving in small blurs, while the man was constantly strolling casually towards her.

Matthew took this as a sign for help and quickly parked James' truck on the side of the road. He made his way towards the girl, but she zipped away from him as well, not knowing if he was a friend or a foe. He turned his attention to the man, who seemed uninterested in him at all. He walked right past Matthew as he continued toward the girl. Matthew dashed at him and tackled him to the ground; it took a lot more strength than he had thought, and the impact caused him to roll off of the man and onto the ground, dirtying his interview clothes. The man stood up and stared at Matthew, who was busy brushing his clothes. He made a slight nodding motion with his head and Matthew was suddenly cast high into the air, landing hard on the ground next to the girl, who had turned to watch everything. The man began to advance once again, but Matthew threw his hands around the girl and carried her back to James' truck with him.

"Come with me," he panted as he ran as fast as he could back to the truck.

"Who are you?" the girl asked, frightened.

"Don't be afraid," Matthew assured her. "I'm the good guy. We need to get away from here."

"We can't," she replied. "He'll find me. He won't stop 'till he gets me."

"Do you know who he is?" Matthew asked.

"Just that he…" the little girl began.

* * *

_Forgive me; my cliffhanger ability is a little rusty, but I think this might pass for one! Coming up next chapter…Another showdown with this mysterious man! And what does he want with this girl, this innocent little girl?_


	3. Where's Matt!

_Hey, people! Here's another chapter to tide y'all over for the time being. I'm still focusing on my concert, which is tomorrow (Japan time) nite and should be big fun. Afterwards, I should slowly be gettin' back into my routine of writing all the time, writing all the time, writing all the time._

_**Raya: **I'm sure we'll all be waiting for your next story, whether it's a 'Harry Potter' or a 'Charmed' story. Meanwhile, I don't mind the conversations on the review page. If anything, it makes it look like I have more reviews!_

_**chyp:** I'm glad you're still around! When you get that perfect idea in your head, we wanna be the first ones to read it!_

* * *

Before she could finish her sentence, both she and Matthew found themselves separated from each other. The man had reappeared in front of them and had used his mysterious powers to push them apart. Matthew took an offensive stance and was about to make a move when the man thrust out his hand and released an orb of black matter that crackled as it moved through the air. Matthew barely had enough time to react. He quickly concentrated and became transparent, just in time for the black matter to pass through his body. It continued on, striking a tree behind him. The tree instantly disintegrated into a pile of ashes. Matthew shuddered at the thought of what could have happened if he had been a second later, but that one moment was all that the man needed. Suddenly, Matthew found himself inches from the man's face. The last thing he saw was a red sparkle out of the man's eyes as he was punched in the face so hard that he lost consciousness.

With Matthew out of the way, the man again focused his attention on the little girl. Every time he took a step toward her, however, she would zip from one place to another. Eventually, she exhausted herself from moving too much. He cornered her against a large wooden fence that was too high for her to climb and too wide for her to escape. She screamed futilely as the man's eyes sparkled. His body turned into a fog-like image and floated right into her. Her eyes opened wide and she instantly became silent. Then they both disappeared, leaving Matthew in the field.

* * *

"Guess who's back!" Wesley announced as he opened the door of his new Atlanta home. No one answered back. "Hello? What the hell kind of welcome is this?"

"Look!" James shouted angrily into the phone as he walked downstairs. "Don't cancel my appointment! I'll be in as soon as I can. I'm not even late! You can't…bye!"

James hung up the phone and threw it in a fit of frustration. Luckily, Wesley was able to use his powers and freeze the phone in midair before it shattered against the wall. James looked downstairs at the front door where his youngest brother stood with his hands still outstretched. He did a double-take; he had been expecting Matthew to walk in anytime, but had almost completely forgotten about Wesley's coming.

"You should probably get that phone before the freeze wears off and the phone hits the wall," Wesley coolly suggested.

"Have you seen Matt?" James asked as he plucked the cordless phone out of the air.

"I'm great, thanks," Wesley replied. "Nice summer with my family. It was hot as usual, but I didn't go outside much. Went waterskiing with my friends from high school, though. I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. Now I just have to learn to swim and I'll be cool."

"Sorry," James said. "Glad you're back, but Matt took my truck and I really need to get downtown before they cancel my appointment."

"What appointment?" Wesley asked.

"A demon attacked a few days ago and Matt and I had a hard time vanquishing him," James said matter-of-factly. "This one was a little tougher and we ended up breaking all the lights in the dining room. More accurately, they were destroyed. Now I have to go down to the power company and see if I can get them fixed."

"Why didn't you call me if it was that bad?" Wesley asked.

"Because you don't have a cell phone," James answered.

"Oh," Wesley said. "I'll put that on my list of things to do. So, besides that, how have you been? Put on a little weight, I see. You must be on Matt's diet."

"He's all fat," James said, flexing his bicep, "and this is all muscle."

"My bad," Wesley said. "I guess I forgot to buy tickets to the 'gun show.'"

"Clever," James said.

"That's me," Wesley replied.

"So, _have_ you seen Matt lately?" James asked again.

"I saw him a while ago at Oxford," Wesley explained. "He was talking about studying and an interview and then he had to leave. Said he was running late. That was a good while ago, though. Probably about three hours back. Maybe he's still at the interview."

"Who interviews somebody for three hours?" James asked.

"I don't know," Wesley said. "You know how much Matt likes to talk. He's probably doing the interviewing by now."

"I guess," James said, glancing at his watch. "Well, I need to take your car, then. If I don't get downtown, I'll have to wait months before somebody's able to come back here."

"What about that guy that mama said she was in good with?" Wesley asked. "Didn't she say something about taking all these problems to him?"

"Yeah," James explained, "but he's on vacation, so I had to call the power company. I think they think we're a little strange around here."

"Can't blame 'em," Wesley said, tossing James his keys. "Make sure you bring my car back in one piece. You ain't Jeff Gordon."

"Don't worry," James said as he rushed out of the door. "If Matt comes back, hold him down until I get back!"

"He's _your_ problem!" Wesley shouted back. "And be careful! A scratch on that car is a scratch on your ass!"

* * *

_There's the Wesley we all know and love! And it seems like James has become a bit more domestic over the summer months. And Matt…we all hope you're okay! Hopefully he made it to his interview on time, but after such an incident…_


	4. A Fogged Up House

_This story's not coming along as quickly as I thought it would, and for that, my bad. But I'm doing what I can, so as usual, kindly bear with me!_

_**chyp: **I got one word for you…'thanx.'_

_**Raya:** Heresy, betrayal, traitor; those are just some of the words I think of when I read that you like Matthew better than Wesley! Don't even think such horrible things!_

* * *

An hour had passed and neither Matthew nor James had returned home from their respective places. Wesley sat in the living room, watching television and eating popcorn, a new pastime he had recently acquired. As he was watching a rerun of his favorite television show, _Charmed_, Matthew burst through the door, panting and holding a bag of melted ice over his head. Wesley quickly ran over and helped him stay upright, which was quite a job considering Matthew weighed almost sixty pounds more than him. Together, they made their way to the couch, where Matthew promptly plopped down.

"What happened to you?" Wesley asked.

"Demon attack," Matthew said.

"One attacked you?" Wesley asked. "In the daytime?"

"Not exactly," Matthew responded. "One was attacking a little girl and I just happened to be in the area, so I went to check it out. The next thing I know, I'm lying on the ground and they're both gone."

"And that doesn't sound peculiar to you?" Wesley asked, concerned.

"What?" Matthew asked.

"You're driving along," Wesley said, "and all of a sudden, a little girl and a demon are on the side of the road and you just conveniently happen to be there. Sounds like a set up to me."

"Think so?" Matthew asked.

"I do," Wesley said. "Meanwhile, Jimmy thinks you set him up for failure about getting the lights in the dining room fixed. I couldn't get a lot out of him about it. He just did the usual hoopin' and hollerin'. Some things never change, I guess."

"Oh, crap," Matthew said. "I took his truck. Think he's that mad?"

"Better you than me," Wesley said. "And he'll get over it anyway. Now, what happened with the lights?"

"Demon," Matthew said simply. "It sucks because they always attack here, and the guy who usually helps us out is on…"

"Vacation," Wesley completed Matthew's sentence. "Jimmy told me that much."

"Oh," Matthew said, "then you're up to speed."

"Well," Wesley said, changing the subject, "I guess we should try and figure out who attacked the girl, and apparently got her."

"She had powers," Matthew explained. "I don't know what kind, though. She just kinda zipped from place to place, although it looked like she couldn't go very far."

"Zipped?" Wesley asked. "Superspeed?"

"Maybe," Matthew said. "The man had red eyes that glowed and he shot these weird black energy balls. I was barely able to phase through it, and I looked behind me and the energy ball just decimated a huge tree like it was nothing. When I turned back around, that's when I got knocked out."

"I thought you were a boxer," Wesley said.

"Anyway," Matthew continued, "the girl kept saying something about the man not stopping until he got her, and that there was nothing I could do."

"Did you see what he looked like?" Wesley asked. "He could be in the Book."

"He was about my height," Matthew said, sizing himself up. "Dressed in black, the usual. Red eyes. I don't think there was anything particular about him. Pretty powerful though, I mean, if he was able to knock _me_ out."

"What is that," Wesley asked, "a cover up? I'll give you a seven for your effort. Let's get the Book and try and ID this guy before classes start. I don't wanna start this year off on a bad note."

"No need," Matthew said, quickly standing up. "He's here."

A black fog slowly drifted into the living room from under the front door. It made its way towards the two brothers. Soon, it began to take the shape of a man, the same man who had attacked Matthew earlier in the day, although he remained in the fog-like state. His eyes glowed the red color that Matthew had just told Wesley about, and Wesley quickly jumped behind Matthew, peeking his head over Matthew's shoulder.

"What the hell is that?" Wesley asked.

"It's what knocked me out," Matthew said.

"Well, what the hell are we supposed to do?" Wesley asked frantically as the man drifted closer to them.

"Well, smart guy," Matthew said, "you freeze him and I'll…grab the minivac?"

Matthew pushed Wesley out in front of himself and took a defensive stance. Wesley threw his hands out to freeze the demonic fog, but he found that his powers had no effect. He tried again, but both times proved useless. The man smiled slightly as he continued to approach his targets, his eyes glowing even brighter than before.

"He's not stopping!" Wesley shouted.

"I see that!" Matthew replied. "Plan B!"

"We don't have a Plan…" Wesley started to say. "Matt, watch out!"

Wesley jumped back as the man suddenly materialized into a corporeal form, dressed in a long black robe, and launched himself at Matthew, who was standing closest to him. Matthew reacted immediately, despite his headache, and used his leg as a baseball bat. He kicked the demon in midair, sending him flying in Wesley's direction. Wesley tried to freeze him again, thinking that since he was now solid, it would work. To his chagrin, his powers failed him again and the demon flew at him, knocking him out cold as they both crashed into a bookshelf.

"Damn it!" Matthew cursed at himself.

"Good thinking," the man said, sneering.

The man raised himself off of Wesley and conjured a black orb of energy in his hand, preparing to hit Wesley with it. Before he could throw it, Matthew was already in the air; he had leapt up and was about to kick the man, trying to prevent Wesley from suffering the same fate as the tree had before. He tackled the demon and caused the energy ball to waver off course and hit the television, instantly reducing it to a pile of ashes. Matthew went to punch the man in the face, but the man quickly turned into a fog, which sucked Matthew into it. Then, as mysteriously as the fog had appeared, it vanished.

* * *

_Oh no! Matt! MATT! What's happened to him? Y'all will have to wait until the next chapter to get anything else out of me!_


	5. At The Power Company

_Hey, everybody! I'm back from a conference in Kobe that I had to attend this past weekend! You know, I have a theory; these conferences are specifically designed to break you down and make you think that you're a horrible teacher, but by the end of them, you come out feeling rejuvenated and motivated enough to take on the world. Such is the life of an English teacher in Japan. And that's my random thought of the day…_

_**Raya: **I'm glad you came back to your senses…Matt…c'mon, get real! I mean, I don't even like the guy…_

_**chyp: **I like to keep people guessin', for the most part. Not even I know who this guy is…_

* * *

James looked suspiciously around as he examined the surroundings of the power company; he felt as if he was being stared at by almost everyone in the building. He cautiously, but confidently, walked into the office of the person in charge, the person who actually had the ability to get things done. On the front of the door only read, "Sam Russo." He was about to enter when he was stopped by an old lady wearing headphones.

"I'm sorry," she said, holding James by the arm, "you can't go in unless you have an appointment."

"I have an appointment," James said, trying to control himself. "I'm here to see the person in charge of my electricity. I'm sick of them putting me off like I'm not important."

"What's your name?" the lady asked.

"James," James replied. "James Armstrong."

"Jane Armstrong…I don't remember your name on the appointment list," the lady said. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to make another appointment."

"Not Jane," James said coolly, "James. Wait a minute! It's _you_! _You're_ the person I talked to on the phone earlier! You kept mistaking my name! I know you remember that!"

"No," she said, "it doesn't ring a bell. Now if you don't mind…"

"I _do_ mind," James said, freeing himself from the lady's hold. "I have an appointment, no matter what you have to say, with all due respect, and I'm going in, so have a good day."

"You can't go in unless…" the lady began.

With a stern look from James, the lady's headset literally flew off of her head and landed on her desk with a rather loud crash. She looked bewildered, but didn't suspect James of the deed. She turned and hurried back to her desk, thinking that the cord must have snatched it back. James took a deep breath and calmed himself down before opening the door.

"May I help you?" came a voice from the other side of the door.

"You're a woman?" James exclaimed as he found himself face to face with a woman.

"Last time I checked," she answered.

She looked to be in her early thirties, but was nevertheless very attractive. James figured that her looks may have been what got her to her position, but he kept that information to himself. She had shoulder length blond hair, which she kept tied up in a tightly wrapped bun, and wore professional looking glasses that only seemed to add to her beauty. They enhanced her blue eyes, which coordinated perfectly with her navy blue business suit.

Her looks, combined with the fact that she was not a man, completely took James by surprise. He had not been expecting this all; his game plan had included dealing with a snobbish old man with whom he was sure to argue. Now, the whole foundation of his strategy had been rocked. But he was still determined to get his problems solved.

"Sam?" he asked.

"Samantha," she explained simply. "I prefer Sam. It surprises people when they barge into my office. Now, about your problem…Mister…"

"Armstrong," James said. "James Armstrong."

"Right," Samantha said, flipping through her files until she found the right one. As she glanced through the report, the expression on her face changed into one of slight disbelief. "Can you tell me how this happened?"

"Like I've said before," James said, "nothing happened. The lights just…exploded."

"Mr. Armstrong," Samantha asked, "are you aware of how absurd that sounds? Lights just don't explode, no matter what you say."

"I don't have to give you any real explanations," James said firmly. "The only reason I'm even here is because I've had to call too many times, just to end up talking to some tape recorder, or get an actual person who can't even remember people's names!"

"Well, Mister Armstrong…"

"Jimmy."

"Excuse me?"

"Call me Jimmy."

"Okay, _Jimmy_," Samantha said nonchalantly, "we can't cover your 'exploded' lights if we don't get a reason. We've been busy lately. A lot of people have been calling in about all sorts of problems. I hate to break it to you, but you're not the only person who lives here in Atlanta."

"Mrs. Russo…" James said with a slight smirk and a stern look.

"Miss," Samantha corrected. "And call me Sam."

"_Sam_," James continued, "I just need the lights fixed. I'm about to start back to school and I just don't have the time for this. I already told you what happened with the lights. They're old. We probably had a power surge or something. And by the way, I'm the only person I care about in Atlanta right now."

"A college man," Samantha said with a smile. "I'll tell you what I'll do, Jimmy. I'll send a few of my boys to your place this weekend and look at your lights, as well as your electricity in the rest of your house. In return, though, I'd like to take you out for dinner."

"Well that's very nice of you to…WHAT?" James exclaimed, clearly taken aback.

* * *

_WHAT? How is it that Jimmy manages to get all of these females interested in him? Is it his 'charm' or what? Tune in next time, 'cuz I'ma still be here!_


	6. Come Home!

_Hey, folks! Here's another chapter for y'all to read until I get back on my writing feet and get more consistent and anti-lazy. Until then, though, enjoy this! And to all y'all who ain't reviewin', let's click that button at the bottom of the screen, please!_

_**Raya:** I mean, you just don't know who to trust these days, right…?_

_**chyp: **Yeah, I decided to come out of hiding and give people a chance to really get to know the real me! What a let down, I know! But take me for who and what I am!_

* * *

"Not as a date, _conceited_," Samantha reassured, "but just to talk about why _your_ house, on 934 Eaton Avenue, always seems to be having 'power surges.'"

James suppressed the smile that had been trying to force its way onto his mouth; he knew that she had been coming on to him for as long as he had convinced himself that he had wanted to flirt with her, but he didn't want to be the first to admit it. After all, he had just come out of an otherwise dead-end relationship with a woman who turned out to be a demon.

"How long will it take for some people to come have a look?" James asked.

"Is that a 'yes?'" Samantha asked wryly.

"It's a 'how long will it take,'" James replied with a smug look.

"I can't say," Samantha answered. "Not until I get an answer out of you."

"I'd love to play this game with you," James began, "but I have better things to do. If you can't help me, then I'll have to help myself. I can take care of it myself."

"If so," Samantha asked, "then why did you come down here in the first place?"

"Bye," James responded.

He stood up and walked out of her office slowly, feeling her staring at him every step of the way. Since he didn't have to look at her anymore, he let a small grin sneak across his face. He wasn't aware, but Samantha was doing the same.

"Have a nice day, Mr. Armstrong," Samantha said. "I know I will."

"Jimmy," James called, not looking back, as he exited her office.

"I know," she said to herself. "Or is it James _White_…?"

* * *

James walked outside to Wesley's car and had just gotten in when his cell phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket and opened it. It said 'Home.' Good, he thought to himself, Matt's calling to apologize. He pressed the 'call' button and was about to give his younger brother grief when the voice on the other line beat him to it.

"Jimmy!" Wesley cried. "It's about time you answered! There was…and he broke…Matt…the Book…don't know where…!"

"Wesley?" James asked his frantic sounding youngest brother. "You have to speak slower. You're breaking up and I can't hear you good."

"Matt…" Wesley repeated, although he still wasn't getting through to James clearly. "…I don't know…you…come home!"

"Okay," James said, a little worried now. "I'm on my way. Hang tight and stay safe until I get there."

With that, he hung up the phone and sped out of the parking lot, unaware of the pair of blue eyes that seemed to watch him as he drove off. So many things were running through his mind because of Wesley's call. Although demons and warlocks had been attacking over the summer, none of them had been able to succeed in killing any of the brothers. Why would things become so much worse now that they were back together, when they were the strongest? Nothing made any sense as he ran through yellow lights all the way home.

* * *

Normally, the power company was about forty-five minutes from James' house, but given the amount of urgency in Wesley's voice, he managed to get home in less than half the time it usually took. The entire trip home, he tried to piece together whatever it was that Wesley was trying to say. All he could guess was that Wesley and Matthew had been attacked by a demon and something about their Book of Light, their most sacred and important spell book that they had inherited when they became witches.

He roared into the parking lot of his and his brothers' house and jumped out of the car, forgetting to turn it off. He noticed this as he saw the car begin rolling backwards. He quickly ran back inside, hit the brakes, and turned off the car. As he ran towards the house, the front door flung open without anyone even touching it! While this would have come across as strange to James a year ago, he had since become one of the Complete, one of the three most powerful witches in the world, along with his brothers. From that moment, he had acquired the power of telekinesis; moving objects with his mind no longer came as a surprise to him.

"Matt? Wesley?" he called out as he entered the house.

"Jimmy!" Wesley shouted as he ran into the living room. The look on his face said it all; something was very wrong.

"You okay?" James asked, looking around. "Where's Matt?"

"I don't know," Wesley answered quickly. "That's what I was telling you on the phone! A demon attacked here and one minute he was here with me and the next, he was…"

"A demon?" James asked.

"Yeah," Wesley said. "He looked like a fog at first, then turned into a guy and I tried to freeze him, but it didn't work. Matt went to kick him and he flew into me. He knocked the demon into me pretty hard and I got knocked out. When I woke up, they were both gone!"

"Gone?" James asked. "Where did he go?"

"Do I look like I know?" Wesley snapped.

"Okay," James said defensively, "this is no time to get mad at each other. Did you look in the Book for any clues?"

"That's the thing," Wesley said. "It's gone. I told you all of this over the phone!"

"The Book is _gone_?" James asked.

"Yes," Wesley said.

"The Book of Light is gone?" James asked again.

"Yes," Wesley said again.

"_Our_ Book of Light is gone?" James asked one more time.

"Yes," Wesley answered again.

"But the Book is protected against evil," James claimed. "Nothing evil can even touch it, unless…"

"The demon took Matt," Wesley said.

"And Matt has the Book," James added.

* * *

_Oh no! This doesn't look good at all, does it? Matt's gone! He's the only brother that has any common sense! It's never good when he's not around! Meanwhile, what's with this Samantha chick? Why does she know James' real name?_


	7. A Long Shot Suggestion

_Here's another chapter for y'all to enjoy! Big shouts out to the only two people who are representin' on this story…_

_**chyp: **Well I don't know what's goin' thru that head of yours, but whatever it is, don't count it out! Great minds often think alike, you know…_

_**Raya:** Oh, the suspense! What **did** Sam mean about James White? Without reading between the lines, it would seem like she knows his real identity, since his birth parents' last name is White… That's all I'm gonna say about it!_

* * *

"What do we do?" Wesley asked, obviously flustered.

"Well," James said, scratching his head, "I don't know. Hey! We could call for John."

"He's never around when you need him," Wesley said, "but I guess it's been a while since we last needed him. It's worth a shot. John!"

Almost immediately after Wesley called out John's name, a shower of lights illuminated the living room where he and James stood. The lights disappeared, leaving a man in their stead. He was an older man, African-American, who looked to be in his early forties. He was John, the three brothers' Guardian, a magical person who helped and guided new witches.

"Hi," John said with a smile.

"Wow," Wesley said. "I'm not used to you actually comin' around within hours of us calling you. I'm quite surprised."

"Sarcasm later," James said, turning to John. "John, we have a problem. Some guy came and took Matt. And our Book is missing along with him. Any ideas on what's going on?"

"Funny you should bring that up," John said. "I've been busy lately. There was a rumor going around about a new kind of demon. Guardians everywhere have been putting their heads together, and y'all might wanna sit down for this…"

* * *

It had been a while since the Council had last reconvened. In the past few months, there had been a surge of uprisings in the Underworld that had kept the five Council members preoccupied. Rumors had been spreading about a new breed of demon that was supposedly stronger than any kind that had ever existed, allegedly even more powerful than not only the combined power of the Council, but more than that of Matthias White, the most powerful warlock in centuries. News of this new demon had been circulating through various demons, warlocks, vampires, and the like, each story gaining yet another twist. By the time the rumors reached the Council, they had been informed that this new kind of evil was planning to completely take over the Underworld, destroy all humanity, and create their own race of demons, making all else obsolete.

The five members of the Council simply could not tolerate such a threat to their power. It was more than a threat; it was an insult. They gathered around their pentagram-shaped table and discussed the threat in great detail.

"If this new demon is supposedly that powerful," Anamalech reasoned, "then where did it come from, and why wait until now to make a move?"

"Perhaps the bigger question is," Tenebrion added, "how will we be able to stop such a powerful threat if it is indeed more powerful than even Matthias?"

* * *

"A new demon?" Wesley asked. "Isn't this getting old? As our lives…_unfold_…the enemies just get stronger and stronger. It's like a video game. We just need to skip to the boss in the final level."

"You think this is the Council?" James asked Wesley.

"Not likely," John countered. "I don't think that they would spread any kind of rumor if it involved the possibility that they could be usurped. They're too proud."

"Well," James asked, "where did this new demon come from, then? And what can we do, especially without Matt? We don't have the power of the Complete without him."

* * *

"I have looked into the most ancient of Grimoires," Mastiphal said, "for a solution to this most unique problem."

"Ah, yes," Ardad said, "the Book of Shadows. It was not lost in the Great Battle after all, then?"

"No," Mastiphal answered. "It was only hidden, meticulously hidden. Since the start of these rumors, I ordered it to be found as soon as possible, in case there was a need for it."

"Good," Andras said. "What does it suggest?"

"It is hard to say," Mastiphal said. "As you are all aware, it is written in an old and obsolete script, hard to decipher. From what can be made of it…"

* * *

"NO!" Wesley and James shouted together.

* * *

_What do they mean by 'no?' What is it that is apparently so terrible that they don't even wanna hear John out? Meanwhile, what is the Council up to these days? What exactly is this Book of Shadows that they have? So many questions…_


	8. Shot Down

_As usual, a big thanx to everybody who continues to read these stories. I really appreciate it; I can't stress that enough. So I'll thank the reviewers, since they mean so much to me, and we'll get on with things!_

_**Raya: **You know how it is with me and suspense. I like it!_

_**chyp:** Yeah, I'm trying to set things up for later action, so for now, just bear with me!_

* * *

"Y'all haven't even heard the rest of it," John said quickly.

"That's crazy!" James exclaimed. "There is no way on Earth, or anywhere else, that we would ever resort to working together with the Council!"

"They try to kill us on an almost daily basis," Wesley added. "It makes for much distrust."

"There has to be another way," James said. "It could never be as serious as that."

"If I could finish," John said, annoyed. "Way back in the day, before anybody y'all know were born, magic was discovered by a group of people, who called themselves 'The Alpha Order.'"

"How long ago?" Wesley asked.

"About five thousand years," John said. "Anyway, it wasn't long before the group became separated. Half of them wanted to use magic for good, and the other half wanted to use it for evil."

"Of course," Wesley said, rolling his eyes.

"Shhh!" James shushed.

"The Great Battle was fought," John explained. "It was the first battle of good versus evil. Although there weren't a lot of people actively involved in it, many innocent people lost their lives indirectly because of it. It was an event that was fifty times more gruesome than anything you could ever imagine. Naturally, the battle ended in a draw, since we all know that neither good nor evil can actually truly stamp out the other.

"From the two separated groups in The Alpha Order came two books. One of them was called the 'Book of Light,' and the other was called the 'Book of Shadows.' They were the first two magical books to ever be created. The Book of Light is a book of good and was specifically designed to guard against evil. It was also destined for the three of y'all to have. The Book of Shadows, however, was designed the other way around. Good can't touch it. It's called a 'Grimoire,' which is just a fancy name for an evil spell book."

"So," Wesley conjectured, "you mean to say that a book was made for us five thousand years ago? And there is another one somewhere out there? It's an interesting story, John, but where are you taking this?"

"Fortunately," John explained, "the Book of Shadows was lost in the Great Battle. No one knows where it is, and even if they did, it's written in a language that nobody has ever heard of. The point is, we all think that the new demon could be a surviving member of The Alpha Order, the half that went bad."

"Would there be anything in our Book about it?" James asked.

"No," John said. "After the Great Battle, the good side wanted to start fresh in order to keep things as pure as possible without reminding themselves of what they had to experience. The bad side, though, recorded anything and everything, so any info on this new demon would most likely be in the Book of Shadows."

"But we can't get it," Wesley said. "You just said that. And even if we did, how are we supposed to read it if it's written in some extinct language?"

"Calm down," John said. "If you would just listen… There's a way. It's a long shot, but it's worth hearing out…"

* * *

"That is not an option!" Andras exclaimed, pounding his fist on the table. "To work with the very people who we seek to destroy is…heresy!"

"What use are they, anyway?" Tenebrion asked. "They cannot gain access to the Book of Shadows."

"The Book of Shadows mentions them specifically," Mastiphal said. "I only need more time to decipher the rest."

"They must truly be legendary if their destiny precedes them by thousands of years," Anamalech said.

* * *

James and Wesley continued to hurl question after question at John, hoping that he would eventually break down and give them a straight answer instead of cryptic clues that only took them in circles. However, as much as he wanted to, John simply did not have the information that they wanted to hear. He could only tell them what he knew, which, although seemingly a lot, was actually very little. As he tried to answer their questions, none of them noticed a small demon hiding in the house. He was a spy demon, sent to see if the Complete knew anything about the current situation. He stared at them intensely from his hiding spot in the wall nearby. Actually, he wasn't inside the wall. His power of camouflage allowed him to "blend" into the wall, much like a chameleon.

"This is just all too weird," James said. "It seems like an awful lot of work to do just to get rid of a demon, because at the end of the day, they're all just demons. What makes him so unstoppable?"

"He's been around for five thousand years," John said. "Magic is like a plant; it grows. Can you imagine how much your powers can grow in five thousand years?"

"Oh," James replied defeatedly.

* * *

_So that's why they shouted 'no.' They have to work with the Council? And the Council's thinkin' the same thing, only in reverse. Things must really be bad if they have to consider working with each other! Meanwhile, what's Matt gonna do? Without him, Jimmy and Wesley are at a serious disadvantage…_


	9. So Close, Yet So Far Away

_Hey, y'all! I wrote another chapter of this story, so please enjoy!_

_**Raya: **Things never look good for these three crazy guys! They're always getting themselves into weird situations! And you should quit the Brit charade; be proud to be an American! We don't say things like "cheers" or "bloody," and we don't add miscellaneous/extraneous/superfluous/unnecessary letters in our "wourds." Something to think about…LOL_

_**chyp:** Thanx, chyp, for your comments, as usual. I try to do what I can to keep you comin' back for more!_

* * *

Matthew finally awoke from what seemed to be the longest nap he had ever taken. His head was throbbing powerfully, his chest felt caved in, and he felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. In fact, his entire body was in pain. Moreover, he found that he could barely move so much as a finger. All he could do was dart his eyes back and forth, trying to figure out where he was.

Then he saw something familiar, weird, but familiar. He saw a large bookstand that looked a lot like one he had in his house. He saw old-looking bookshelves that hadn't been cleaned in ages. He saw a portrait of himself and his brothers. Finally, he saw the framed remains of the first demon they had vanquished. He figured it out; he was in his house! However, everything looked different. It looked as if everything was its opposite color. Matthew saw the negative images of everything. Where am I, he thought to himself, to be in such a strange place?

He could hear voices; he closed his eyes and tried very carefully to trace the sounds. It was, could it be, the sounds of his brothers talking! He had never been so happy to hear their voices!

"Jimmy!" he shouted as loudly as he could. "Homeboy! I'm down in the basement!"

Nobody answered. They just kept talking as if they couldn't hear him, which was a hard thing to do considering how loud Matthew's voice could get. He yelled again, but he found that apparently they were too busy talking about something else. He tried to move again, but the only progress he had made was that he could now move his hands. Even so, he could only move them a little bit. He let out a very audible sigh.

"They cannot hear you," a voice boomed. "And they cannot see you. Your fate belongs to me."

Matthew flinched. He had heard that voice before. He followed the source of the voice with his eyes and came upon the face of the demon who had brought him there in the first place.

"Why not?" Matthew asked defiantly, but curiously.

"Because this is _my_ world," the demon responded, "and I control everything."

"Not me," Matthew spat.

"Funny," the demon said, "considering you cannot even control your own body."

"What have you done to me?" Matthew asked. "Why can't I move?"

"Because," the demon answered, "this is _my_ world. _I _make the rules. And your weak human nature cannot withstand the forces in this realm."

The demon stepped forward so that Matthew could see him better. Although everything had a negative hue to it, the demon remained the same colors that he had been in the real world. He was still covered in black clothing and had piercing red eyes. The most important feature, though, was the large book that the demon held in his hands. Matthew instantly recognized it as the Book of Light.

"How did you get that?" Matthew asked angrily. "The Book can't leave the house. Evil can't even touch it!"

"You obviously have not taken notice of where you are," the demon said. "We are _in_ your house. As for this 'Book' repelling evil, it seems as though that has been taken care of, has it not?"

At those words, Matthew became silent. He was trying to think of anything that could help him get out of this predicament. With his brothers unaware of his whereabouts, he was all alone to handle this. Added to that pressure was the fact that he could barely move, although he was slowly becoming able to wiggle parts of his body.

"Your body is paralyzed, witch," the demon said. "When you are able to move again, which will not be for a long time, I will have already killed your brothers, right in front of you, before ending your own miserable existence."

"Take a number," Matthew responded bravely. "Your kind is out to get us every day. What makes you think that you can get the job done? You're just today's problem to my brothers and me."

"Strong words indeed," the demon said, "for a witch who cannot even move. Besides, killing the three of you is not my ultimate goal. My reasons for wanting this are…personal."

"You'll never get away with this, demon," Matthew said in homage to classic victim lines everywhere.

"The name is Sabo," the demon said. "Remember it, because it will occupy your mind until your death."

Matthew stared up at the demon from the floor, where he was restrained for the time being. Although he was progressively becoming more able to move more of his body, he only had control of his arms up to that point. Sabo grinned dismissively as he began to flip through the Book of Light. Matthew could see the demon's eyes widen as he read each entry on each page. That sight was enough to make him want to vanquish Sabo on the spot, but with extremely limited mobility, there was nothing he could do.

* * *

_That doesn't look good for Matt, then, if this all powerful demon has him all helpless and stuff. And the weird thing is, he's not even in some remote location; he's in his own house! What's that all about? Will he be able to get in touch with his brothers, who are right in the next room?_


	10. Where Are You, Matt?

_I'm back again! Again, apologies for the long periods between uploading. Things are actually quite hectic in Japan for a change. Not good hectic, more like bad hectic. But you bite your tongue, you close your eyes, you get a little on the side, you get thru it!_

_**Raya: **Hey, if you wanna be British, go right ahead. Who am I to judge you, right? But we all know that Americans are better… The spinoffs are rarely better than the originals, but America was an exception! And I don't even side with America; my loyalties lie with Texas! And thanx for the reviews! Keep 'em comin'!_

_**chyp: **Not much to say to you, except "THANX!" As long as you keep reviewin', it's all good!_

* * *

"That doesn't make any sense!" Wesley exclaimed. "How could both us and the Council have a common enemy? We're on opposite ends of the scale!"

"Have you _not_ been listening to anything?" John asked, annoyed. "The new demon has the power to overtake any other evil that exists, which would mean that the Council would become old and outdated."

"So," James asked, "if we _did_ decide to work with the Council, what would we do? I can imagine a lot of awkward silences."

"Can't we get Matt back first?" Wesley asked in a whiny tone. "I think we could all benefit from hearing what he has to say."

* * *

"Working with the Complete has never been an option," Tenebrion said, "nor will it become one."

The Council's meeting was suddenly interrupted when the spy demon materialized into the mystical chambers. Immediately, the conversation stopped as all the attention turned to this demon. He meekly stepped forward to the five members, continuing to keep his head bowed low in reverence.

"What information have you obtained, Yuji?" Andras asked.

"The witches are at a major disadvantage," Yuji answered. "It seems that the middle brother is missing. They think that the new demon has him."

"The new demon is making matters even more complicated than the witches," Mastiphal said. "What else do you know?"

"Their Guardian has told them of the possibility of having to work with you," the spy demon said. "And they aren't too thrilled about it."

"Is there anything else?" Anamalech asked.

"No, sir," Yuji replied. "Shall I return back to their house for more information?"

"No," Ardad said. "You have served your purpose."

With that, Ardad extended his hand and Yuji was suddenly engulfed in flames. The other Council members looked on as the Yuji screamed in agony. After one final scream, the flames that consumed him won and he exploded in a small fiery blast. Ardad and the others moved on with their discussion without a second thought.

* * *

An entire day had passed with very little progress. James and Wesley were still trying to figure out what their next move would be, while John was giving them as much information as he could provide. Without Matthew there, it seemed a lot harder to put any kind of clues together to come up with an answer. It was times like this when the two brothers really relied on Matthew.

"So let's recap," Wesley said to an exhausted James and a tired John. "We don't have any idea where our brother is. We have to work with the Council. There's a new superdemon on the loose. The Book is missing. And we can't find Matt. Does that cover it?"

"You said the Matt one twice," James said.

"It's twice as important!" Wesley quickly snapped.

"Well is there a way to look for Matt?" James asked. "Maybe a spell would bring him back here?"

"If the demon is as powerful as he's supposed to be," John said, "I'm sure he could easily block it. Why don't y'all try to scry for him?"

"Scry?" Wesley asked. "What the hell is that?"

"Think of it as a supernatural tracking device," John explained. "All you need is a map, a crystal on a string, and something that belongs to Matt."

"Well let's take this into the basement," James suggested. "Everything is down there."

They made their way to the basement and began going through their magical things, looking for the required materials to scry. Fortunately, their parents had left them a plethora of items that they used themselves, which included a scrying map and a somewhat dull crystal, tied to a simple white string. Wesley had gone upstairs to Matthew's room, where he found Matthew's house key, and rushed back to give it to James, who tied it around the string. James then held the string over the map and, together with Wesley, they chanted a short spell that activated the scrying process:

_Find our brother Matt!_

Wesley and John waited somewhat patiently as James let the crystal swing freely over the map. It undulated back and forth across the paper. After a small eternity, it began to home in on a certain spot before it finally stopped and landed on a space, as if it were attracted magnetically to that area. Wesley and John leaned in and recognized the spot as their own house.

"Does _nothing_ work around here?" Wesley yelled in frustration. "How can he be here if he's obviously not here?"

"Did I do it wrong?" James asked.

"No," John said. "Scrying never fails. If he's here, maybe we haven't looked everywhere."

"If he's here," Wesley said, "wouldn't he have been kind enough to join us by now?"

"Where are you, Matt?" James asked openly.

* * *

_Where, indeed. Nothing's goin' right for anybody, it seems. The wrong people are having to end up working with each other, and nobody really wants to work with anybody else. It's all chaotic, but stick around and it'll all make sense sooner or later!_


	11. Making Contact

_No time for formalities! Busy at work! New ideas!_

_**chyp: **Thanx, chyp, and have fun with your fellow Scouts. I used to be one, but alas, I was just too lazy to get anything done. It was a long time ago, though, when dinosaurs still walked around…_

_**Raya: **Cheers for your comments. I try to throw in a nice quote every now and then to keep the regulars entertained._

* * *

"I'm right here!" Matthew shouted at the top of his lungs. His brothers had entered the basement, where he was, but because they were in different realms, they could neither hear nor see each other.

Matthew groaned. Sabo had gone upstairs to read the Book in silence, leaving Matthew alone. Matthew had by this time gained back his ability to move, but it seemed as though he was unable to leave the basement. Every time he tried to go up the stairs, his feet would pass through them like they were holographic and unreal.

He turned his attention to his brothers, who were unknowingly looking right at him. Matthew waved his hands; although he knew that they wouldn't see it, he was out of ideas. After a short while of thinking, he decided to try and touch them. He grabbed James' shoulder, but like the stairs, his hand passed through James' body. He tried a few more times, even concentrating deeply, but each time was just as successful as the first.

* * *

"Did you feel that?" James asked Wesley and John.

He had been talking, but suddenly felt a strange sensation. It felt as if someone touched him, but he knew that it was impossible since the only other people in the room were at least five feet away from him. Yet, the feeling would not go away. He looked around for other signs of anything that could give a logical reason to why he felt what he did.

"Feel what?" Wesley asked.

"Somebody touched me," James answered.

"Nobody touched you," Wesley said. "You're crazy."

"I'm not crazy," James replied. "I know what I felt. Maybe it was the wind or something."

"Because we get quite a breeze down in the basement," Wesley responded dryly.

* * *

"Shut up!" Matthew shouted to Wesley. He loved Wesley like anyone loves their younger brother, but sometimes he just wanted to punch him right in the nose.

This was Matthew's chance to get in touch with his brothers, but Wesley was constantly thwarting every attempt by downplaying James' suggestions. At this rate, Matthew would never be found, and his brothers would never find him. He switched his attention from James to Wesley, in order to try and convince him that it wasn't the "wind," as James had suggested.

* * *

"I guess the windows aren't open," James said. "Maybe it was just a fly or something in my ear."

"Wait a minute," Wesley said, changing his tune. "I think I felt it. Did it feel like a cold chill on your shoulder?"

"Yeah," James said. "Who's crazy now?"

"Oh grow up," Wesley spat. "John, why do we both feel this same thing?"

"It could be Matt," John guessed. "Maybe he's trying to contact you from wherever he is."

"Sure," James said. "We scryed for him and that told us that he was in the house. Maybe it really _is_ him."

"Okay," Wesley said, "that makes some sense. Well, if it _is_ Matt, what do we do now?"

"Now comes the hard part," John said.

* * *

In another realm of existence, the five members of the Council sat around their pentagram-shaped table as Mastiphal studied the Book of Shadows carefully. The ancient Grimoire was several times thicker than the brothers' Book of Light. It was a deep crimson color and on the front was a large pentagram, colored black, to symbolize all things evil.

"It does not make sense," Mastiphal said. "This language is too difficult to understand completely. It follows no other grammatical form that I have ever seen."

"We must keep trying," Ardad urged. "If we waste too much time, our fate may already be sealed. We cannot allow the Alpha Order to be recreated."

* * *

_Uh oh! It looks like things are getting worse and worse as time passes… The Council can't read the Book of Shadows. John is telling Wesley and James that everything's about to get a lot trickier. Matthew can't get out of wherever he is, although he's somewhat successfully 'contacted' them. Will things ever get better?_


	12. Don't Make A Sound

_Okay, I'm back again for the I-don't-know-how-many time. As usual, my bad on the randomness of the story's chapter posting. I've suddenly become busy at work after 11 months. Who would've thought, huh? I'm gonna really try and finish this story before my next big vacation, which is back to America, so I'm hard at work, even if it doesn't seem like it!

* * *

_

Wesley, James, and John crept through what appeared to be an endless cave that was only very dimly lit. They could barely see their hands in front of their faces, yet they dared not grab any kind of source of light to risk being found out. A constant cloud of smoke hovered on the ground, obscuring their view of what they were walking on, if they were even walking on anything. There was a particular odor that emanated throughout the entire place. It was a smell unlike anything else that any of them had ever experienced before.

Wesley made sure to keep as close to James as he could. He didn't want to admit it, but he was more scared now than he had ever been before. No haunted house could equal what he was going through at that time. Every now and then, a muffled groan could be heard throughout the cave, which was enough to make Wesley grab James like a security blanket. Because the torches hanging from the wall were few and far between, James found himself constantly being tackled by Wesley.

John, however, remained calm. He casually strode through the endless tunnels without uttering a word. He was careful, yet always on guard. He seemed to know where he was going, but the two brothers were convinced that they had been going in circles for at least thirty minutes.

They walked on. Wesley was too nervous to say anything, while the other two just never bothered to speak for fear of getting Wesley started on a random rant about how scared he was and how he wanted to go back home. As they continued, they heard another muffled groan come from nowhere in particular. Wesley grabbed James' arm on cue, but it wasn't until he tripped on something that things became worse.

Feeling Wesley's weight shift dramatically, James shuffled his weight to keep Wesley from falling. Wesley bent down to feel what he tripped on, but pulled up a large skull that was still moving. He was about to scream, but James saw it coming and quickly moved to cover his mouth. Instead, Wesley instinctively glimmered out in a bright shower of blue and white lights for a second before returning to his spot. That happened to him sometimes when he became extremely frightened. James gave him a stern look, while John quickly scanned the area for signs of movement.

"Why did you do that?" James snapped very quietly. "What if we get caught?"

"I was scared!" Wesley mouthed back. "I can't do this anymore! I wanna go home!"

"I knew he couldn't go for long without saying that," John added quietly. "You owe me twenty dollars, James."

"Y'all took bets on me?" Wesley asked. "That's not…"

"Who's down there?" a voice boomed. It didn't come from any particular place.

"Now look what you did!" James scolded Wesley. "Hide!"

The trio ducked down below the smoke, much to Wesley's hesitation, behind a corner. Soon after, two demons walked through the area, having tracked the source of the mysterious light. They wore toga-type clothing that was draped over one shoulder. Both had long rough hair that extended just below their shoulders. They both looked like gladiators; each one carried a large shield and a small sword in a sheath that was tied around their waists.

"There's no one here," one demon said to the other.

"They light came from here," the other demon insisted. "You know our orders. We're to investigate any disturbance fully."

"Fine," the first demon said.

As they patrolled the area, James kept a tight grip around Wesley's mouth, knowing that Wesley could easily alert the demons to their presence. Silently, he communicated with John; they were going to quickly jump out and vanquish the two demons so that they could keep moving. Wesley wanted to disagree with the plan, but one look from James changed his mind. They all mouthed to each other a three count: "one...two...three!"

* * *

_That's the way to do it; just count to three and go in hard and fast! But will that strategy be good enough to keep James, Wesley, and John alive? There's only one way to find out!_


	13. You Made A Sound!

_Okay, running late for elementary school today. We'll jump right in!_

_**chyp:** Thanx for reading and reviewing!_

* * *

While the two demons were turned around, James jumped up and waved both of his hands in opposite directions. The two demons were suddenly cast into the air, slamming hard into each other. When they recovered, they immediately extended their hands and threw blue energy balls at James. Just before the energy balls hit, Wesley jumped out and flashed his hands. The two blue orbs of energy stopped abruptly in midair. John then revealed himself and pointed at the two energy balls. They disappeared in a shower of white lights and reappeared again, hurtling towards the two demons. They quickly countered by throwing up their shields, which absorbed the attacks.

"Witches!" one demon shouted. "And a Guardian! Kill them!"

"Not just any witches," James said as he waved his arm again. This time, a strong force suddenly threw the two demons to the ground, hiding them below the thick smoke.

"Way to go, Jimmy," Wesley commented. "Now we don't know where they are!"

"Shh!" James ordered as he crept cautiously toward the two demons.

As James took a step, he heard a very faint sound from behind him. He turned around just in time to see a demon thrusting a sword towards his back. He had just enough time to narrowly dodge the sword, but the other demon took advantage of the opportunity and punched James hard across the face, knocking him into the air. Wesley ran to where his brother was headed and prepared himself to catch James. Being smaller and lighter, James' impact knocked the two of them to the ground, although James' fall was broken significantly. John, meanwhile, had glimmered behind one of the demons and kicked him in the back, forcing him to the ground. He quickly grabbed the demon's sword and was about to stab him with it when the other demon tripped him from the ground. John fell and inadvertently threw the sword into the air. The demon was about to catch it when it suddenly veered off course. James stood up as the sword flew to him gracefully.

"Looking for this?" he asked.

He threw the sword as hard as he could at the demon. With the help of his telekinetic powers, James sent the sword flying much faster and harder than the demon could handle and the sword penetrated the demon fully, going through his chest and exiting out his back. The remaining demon, who had witnessed everything, was about to disappear to get reinforcements when he suddenly froze in motion. He was semi-transparent; Wesley had frozen him just before he had completely disappeared. John, who was the closest, grabbed the demon's sword and plunged it into his chest, vanquishing him. The two demons both imploded in a small yellow blaze.

"That was easy," Wesley commented.

"Too easy," John said cautiously. "Let's hurry up and move on before anybody else notices us."

"Too late," a voice snarled from a distance.

"Damn, John!" James complained. "You couldn't get us any closer to where we needed to go?"

"It's magically guarded," John replied. "Be thankful I got us as far as I did! Look out!"

* * *

Matthew concentrated as hard as he could, focusing all of his power on the stairs that led up to the main floor of his off-colored house. Slowly, his powers began to work on the stairs, but the effects only lasted for a brief while. The extensive efforts were also beginning to take a toll on him. He had finally regained his ability to move and was trying to use his power to make the steps solid enough to walk up them, but he was not quite at full power yet, and he was in a realm where the rules did not seem to make much sense. He heard a noise from upstairs, a noise that he could only guess was Sabo. Thinking of anything, he started to make up spells that he thought would help him in any way.

_The object that I hold in mind,  
In my hands shall I now find.  
Take it from my enemy,  
With me is where it should rightfully be._

* * *

_What effects will the spell have? I don't know!_


	14. The Council, I Presume

_Okay, I have 2 more days to try and finish this before my big trip back to America, so I'm working around the proverbial clock to get it done! I'm almost there, too! So please bear with me until then, and thanx a whole lot for staying with me! I know y'all have other stories to read, but it means a lot that the few of y'all keep coming back to see what happens!_

_**Raya: **Thanx, as always. You'll soon see how the spell played out… And Jimmy and Wesley are just about to get themselves into a heap of trouble, if you know what I mean, but I won't ruin it for you!_

_**chyp: **Yeah, sorry that last one was slightly short. I was trying to find a good place to stop the chapter and I felt like that was the best choice. If it makes you feel any better, I made this one a little longer!_

* * *

In a matter of moments, the Book of Light appeared in Matthew's hands in a blaze of light. Matthew smiled at his accomplishment; something had finally gone in his favor. However, as he went to open it, it vanished again. Sabo threw the basement door open and calmly walked down the stairs, holding the Book. He glared at Matthew for a minute before regaining his stature.

"Do not try that again," Sabo warned. "Remember, you are in _my_ world. You should be thankful that I am letting you live as long as you are. Do not test my patience."

"Why don't you come down here and say that to my face," Matthew challenged with a distinct look of determination on his face.

"You dare challenge me, witch?" Sabo spat.

"Think of it as a warning," Matthew answered. "Either way, you'll be dead at the end of the day."

Sabo said nothing else. Instead, he walked down the stairs, the very same ones that Matthew could not climb, and approached Matthew very casually. Matthew rounded back to throw his fist, but in the blink of an eye, Sabo had twisted Matthew's arm and forced him to the ground, still holding onto his arm. He grinned as Matthew groaned in pain.

"This," Sabo said, "is not even a sample of my true power."

"Maybe," Matthew said in between grimaces, "but the same goes for me."

Matthew's arm suddenly became transparent as Matthew phased out of Sabo's grip, temporarily throwing him off guard. Matthew immediately followed up with a stern kick to Sabo's stomach, causing him to reel over. He delivered a solid uppercut to Sabo's face, making him jerk upwards. He then kicked Sabo's chest, which made the demon instinctively throw his arms in the air, releasing the Book of Light. Matthew jumped up and caught the Book and ran to the opposite end of the room, wanting to put as much distance between himself and Sabo as possible.

"Is that the best you can do?" Sabo asked.

"Not even close," Matthew replied, panting.

"Give me the Book," Sabo ordered, "or I will take it forcefully. You do not want me to take it forcefully."

"I'll take my chances," Matthew said. "Besides, you can't take what you can't touch."

Matthew grinned as he became transparent, along with the Book. If he couldn't get out of the house, he figured, he would at least keep this demon from having his and his brothers' most prized possession.

"You forget," Sabo said, "that I have powers you cannot even begin to imagine. Your sideshow trick means nothing to me."

Sabo held out his hands and the Book of Light suddenly flew out of Matthew's hands and landed into his own, no longer transparent. Sabo turned around and walked up the stairs out of the basement. Matthew ran after him, but Sabo turned back around and his eyes flashed red. Matthew suddenly found himself flying through the air. He slammed into a wall and slumped to the floor as he heard Sabo close the door behind him, bringing him back to square one.

* * *

James, Wesley, and John all wiped the sweat from their foreheads as they finally vanquished the last of the demon guards. They had had to fight through dozens of evil minions in order to reach their target destination, but they had managed to make it through. Where they stood now was a very ambiguous looking area. They had suddenly gone from what may have been a cave to a mysterious place that seemed to have neither a beginning nor an end. They were completely surrounded by rock and stone. How they suddenly got there, they had no idea.

"We've been waiting for you," a voice called from above, causing the three to look upwards.

Before they could react, all three vanished from their spots. They were roughly deposited onto a hard surface. When they stood up, they noticed that the room they were now in was extremely dim; only a very few torches provided light for them to see. The ground, like before, was covered in a thick fog-like smoke that looked never-ending. To their immediate left was a large table, shaped like a pentagram. At each of the five corners sat one member of the Council. Wesley did not have to know where he was to know what had happened. He was behind James and John in a split second.

"Welcome," Tenebrion said as he and the other Council members turned to face their visitors. "We finally meet."

"We're not here for formalities," James said boldly, stepping forward. "We have something in common."

"Duly noted," Mastiphal said. "We also cannot help but notice that you are missing one sibling. Is he hidden away somewhere, waiting to ambush us?"

"Or has Sabo taken him hostage?" Ardad asked, tapping his fingers against the table.

"What?" John exclaimed. "How did you know that?"

"We have eyes and ears everywhere," Andras replied. "We know of everything you do."

"So you must know that any 'eyes and ears' y'all might have had protecting y'all have been taken care of," James said with a smirk.

"You did not think that we would make your trip here an easy one, did you?" Anamalech asked.

"But since you made it _alive_," Mastiphal continued, "shall we get down to business? As we are all aware, there is an unidentified evil entity who has proven himself a threat to both sides. We have the means to vanquish him, but unfortunately, we require the assistance of the most powerful good."

"Which is you," Ardad added.

"So for the time being," Andras explained, "you will have to work for us."

"What makes y'all think we're that willing to work _with_ y'all?" James asked.

"Because," Tenebrion said, "you are at a serious disadvantage. Your brother is missing, which means that you do not have your Complete power. We can help you get him back, which would allow us to work together and destroy Sabo. Therefore, I believe that _we_, not you, have the upper hand."

"They're right," John said to James and Wesley. "If they know how to get your brother back, then we have no choice but to do as they say."

"We're gonna talk about it first," James said to Tenebrion and the rest of the Council, "and we'll let y'all know."

"Remember," Mastiphal reminded them, "we do not have very much time."

* * *

Matthew had begun to wear a small trail in the off colored floor of the "basement." He had been pacing back and forth in the same place for what could easily have been hours. He was completely out of options; he couldn't make up another spell because Sabo would only see right through it and figure out a way to counter it. He couldn't take Sabo by brute force, either, as he had tried earlier. He couldn't use his powers to phase the Book out of Sabo's grip. Whatever was going to happen now was not up to him anymore. The best thing he could think to do was to buy as much time as he could. Wherever his brothers were, he thought, they were surely working on a plan to free him. Then, together they could take on this demon and get back to their normal lives.

But nothing had worked so far. Any ideas he had had before had either backfired or just plain not worked. He wished he could just get out of that place once and for all. It served as a painful reminder that although he was technically home, he was still worlds away from his real home. Besides that, the off colors of this alternate realm were giving him a headache. But he just sat and waited for his brothers. They had to find him; things always worked out for the three of them. Why would this time be any different?

* * *

_Oh no! The brothers might have finally found themselves in a situation that they can't escape! And now Wesley and James are actually talking to the Council, face to face! Things just look horrible!_


	15. Lost And Found

_One more day to go! It's terrible! I haven't packed a thing yet, and I leave first thing tomorrow morning! I'm really trying, and I promise that I'll try as hard as I can to get this story done before tonite, even if that means uploading all the rest of the chapters at once, which I might have to end up doing anyway. So, there y'all have it!_

_**chyp:** I'm glad you thought it was stupendous! No one's ever used that word to describe my stuff! So you're the first! And that means a lot to me. Stupendous is such a nice word; people don't use it as much as they should, in my opinion. Oh well, enjoy your boy scout stuff and do a couple of good deeds for me!_

* * *

James, John, and Wesley retreated to a small corner of the Council's chamber to discuss the situation. Surprisingly, Wesley had very little to say, although his opinions were clear through his expressions. Every now and then they would turn to look at the Council, to see if they might be spying on them, but the five members of the Council sat somewhat patiently, not bothering to listen, but having a telepathic conversation amongst themselves.

"There has to be another way for us to get Matt back without their help," James insisted.

"We've gone through this a million times," John asserted. "There's nothing else we can do by ourselves."

"Couldn't we write a spell or something to find Matt?" James asked.

"If this Sabo is as powerful as everybody makes him out to be," John explained, "then you and Wesley saying the spell wouldn't be enough to make it work. Whether or not you want to believe it, we're just going to have to work with them to make any progress."

"But I don't trust them," James said. "They're…they're _evil_!"

"What gave it away?" Wesley asked as he retreated back into silence.

"What do _you_ think?" James asked, turning to his youngest brother.

"Me?" Wesley asked innocently. "I think…that…I'll stick with the majority."

"You have three seconds to choose," John said.

"Three seconds?" Wesley asked incredulously. "That's…"

"One," John counted.

"I don't…it's too…" Wesley stumbled.

"Two," John continued.

"Uh, I'll pick…" Wesley stammered on.

"Three," John finished as he and James glared at Wesley.

"Okay!" Wesley said. "Let's get it over with! And don't do that to me again."

Meanwhile, the Council were talking amongst themselves telepathically. They appeared to the three guests to be waiting patiently and unintrusively, but they were in fact plotting their own series of events.

"Of course not," Mastiphal thought to the others. "We will help them get their brother back so that they will have their full power of three. Then when we have accomplished our goal, we will kill them all."

"A perfect ending to a serendipitous situation," Andras added.

* * *

John, James, and Wesley had been falling for what seemed like hours through a vortex. They finally landed hard on their feet as they reached their destination. They looked around, but couldn't tell where they were from anything. Everywhere they looked, things had an eerie glow to them, not to mention that everything seemed to be the wrong color. It was as if everything had been changed to its opposite color, if that were even possible.

"Where did they send us?" Wesley asked. "This place is hurting my eyes."

"Wherever it is," James said, "it must be where Matt is. They wouldn't send us on a wild goose chase, not since they need us."

"Doesn't this place look familiar to y'all?" John asked.

"Should it?" Wesley asked. "It's all a weird negative color. I can't recognize anything. Even the floor is black-purpley."

"I have to agree," James added.

"James," John said, pointing, "isn't that your chemistry book on the table? And isn't that Wesley's psychology book and backpack? There's the picture of the three of y'all hanging on that wall."

"You mean…" Wesley began.

"No," James said in a long and drawn out manner. "This isn't…our house, is it?"

"I don't think that it's your real house," John suggested. "We might be in some parallel dimension or something."

"Do those exist?" Wesley asked.

"Do you need to ask?" James responded.

"Touché," Wesley replied. "So we're in our own house in some other dimension where everything is designed to make you blind…or crazy. Where's Matt?"

"He's gotta be here somewhere," James said.

"That means the demon might also be here," John warned, "so we better hurry and find him."

"He could be anywhere," James said. "It's a big house."

"Where would he be?" Wesley thought out loud. "If there's an evil being roaming around here, then maybe he's in the basement."

"But the demon could be in there, too," James countered.

"Only one way to find out," Wesley said as he took in a deep breath and crossed his fingers. "MATT!"

"Wesley!" James exclaimed. "What did you do that for? Do you want the demon to…"

"Homeboy?" came a muffled voice from below. "Can you hear me?"

"Any more questions," Wesley asked triumphantly as he led his brother and John towards the basement.

"Matt," James called, "we're on our way. Just stay put."

"I'm not going anywhere," Matthew replied. "But don't come down here. It's a trap. You won't be able to get back upstairs if you…"

But it was too late. Wesley had opened the basement door and began walking down the stairs with John and James. The minute they were all on the staircase, the steps suddenly became transparent and they tumbled to the floor. Matthew ran to help them up.

"It's about time," Matthew said. "Where have you been?"

"It's a long story," James said. "Where's the demon?"

"Sabo?" Matthew asked. "He's somewhere with the Book. I tried to keep it away from him as long as I could, but he's too strong."

"That's because the only way we can get rid of him is if we work together with the Council," Wesley said.

"WHAT?" Matthew asked.

"I know," James said.

"We have to hurry," John said. "If Sabo has the Book, he could be trying to find something in there that would resurrect the rest of his kind."

"But you said that anything that happened back then had been erased from our Book," James claimed.

"I know," John said, "but certain elements of both books were split and sort of hidden in both books to keep either side from causing another incident like that one."

"More good news," James said to himself.

"What are y'all talking about?" Matthew asked.

"We'll explain it on the way," John said. "Right now, we need to get the Book and get out of here."

"Well," Matthew suggested, "I can get the Book with a spell I made up, but the last time I tried it, it only worked for a few seconds before Sabo stole it back. Maybe if we all say it, it'll work long enough to get out of here."

"Worth a shot," James said. "We only have one shot at this. If we screw up, Sabo could wipe us all out."

"Okay," John said, pulling out a piece of paper. "Here's the spell to get us back to the Council. Y'all need to say this one as soon as we get the Book. I'll try to fight off Sabo in case something goes wrong."

"I'd knock on wood," Wesley said, "but I don't know what color it is."

"Alright," Matthew said, "repeat after me."

"_The object that we hold in mind,  
In our hands shall we now find.  
Take it from our enemy,  
With us is where it should rightfully be."_

* * *

_We remember how the spell played out last time Matthew said it. Will the power of the Complete be strong enough to pull the Book of Light from Sabo this time, or has Sabo proved once and for all that he is truly unstoppable?_


	16. Too Strong?

_Hey, y'all. It's me, after my long vacation. Sorry I didn't get this done before I left, but things happen... Anyway, I'm back now and I really need to finish this story because it's taken way too long to do. Besides, I got other things I'd like to do!_

_**chyp:** Hope you enjoyed your boy scout camp. Sounds like a lot of fun. And thanx for your words, as usual!_

* * *

With the power of all three brothers combined, the spell worked immediately as the Book of Light appeared in James' hands in a shower of white lights. A sigh of relief was audible throughout the room as all four people exhaled deeply. Their sighs were soon answered, though, as Sabo magically appeared in the basement, fading into view.

"So," Sabo said, "I see that your brothers have found you. And you have once again stolen the book, as I had asked you not to do. I will have it back, please."

Sabo extended his hand and the Book of Light jumped out of James' hands and sailed through the air towards Sabo. Thinking quickly, John reached out with his own hand and before the Book could reach its target, it glimmered out of sight and reappeared in John's hands. He threw it to Matthew, who caught it, and motioned at Sabo. The demon disappeared in a sea of lights and reappeared in the air, hurtling towards the wall. He slammed into it full force, but soon recovered.

"Say the spell!" John shouted as he ran towards Sabo.

As the three began to read from the paper, Sabo's eyes flashed red and they all flew in separate directions. Matthew landed on the floor opposite Sabo, Wesley had flown to Sabo's right, and James to his left. They all hit the ground with a thump and tried to regroup, but Sabo's power had weakened them considerably. John, meanwhile, had thrown a punch at the demon, but Sabo easily dodged it and retaliated with a punch of his own that sent John flying into an old shelf.

Wesley was the first one to break out of his daze and threw his hands out at Sabo. This time, to his relief, Sabo froze. He quickly ran to his brothers and shook them back to reality. John was still lying in the rubble he had created by crashing into the shelf, unconscious, but otherwise alive.

"We have to get John," Wesley said.

"He's not the priority right now," James said, pointing at Sabo.

The demon began to twist and turn out of Wesley's freeze, eventually breaking it. He forcefully threw a ball of crackling blackness at the three brothers. James had stepped in front of the other two and thrust his hand out, repelling the attack towards Sabo. As it hit the demon, it simply vanished upon impact. The force of the recoil, though, threw James back into Matthew, who was barely able to catch him.

"You are no match for the greatest demon in history," Sabo said with a snarl.

"Get over yourself," James said, waving his hand at Sabo.

Sabo quickly shielded himself by crossing his arms over his face. He slid back a few feet as James' telekinesis took hold of his body. He threw another ball of black energy at the brothers. Wesley reached a hand out and froze it in midair. James then used his powers to reflect it, but the projectile only inched its way back towards Sabo at a very slow pace.

"What's wrong with your powers?" Matthew asked.

"In my world," Sabo answered, "your powers may be able to affect me, but not for long. Your powers will eventually become as useless here as they were in your world."

"You're all talk," Wesley said as he froze the demon. He picked up the paper off the floor and held it out for his brothers to see.

"But my words are true," Sabo said as he broke Wesley's freeze again, this time much more quickly.

He was about to threw another energy ball when an old couch appeared in the air quite suddenly and hit him in the chest, knocking him backwards. The brothers turned to see John standing amidst the debris, breathing heavily. He motioned towards anything that he could find; old chairs, tables, other shelves, boxes all glimmered towards Sabo, bombarding him relentlessly.

"Say the spell now!" John shouted as the brothers finally got a chance to read from the paper.

"_Reverto nos quattuor  
Quo nos errant pro."_

* * *

James, Matthew, Wesley, and John suddenly found themselves standing back in the Council's chamber. It seemed like they had never gone anywhere in the first place, as if it had all been a dream. But it was real; the fact that Matthew was there with them proved it. Matthew quickly scanned his surroundings. He had never been in the Council's chamber before. He felt a little uneasy, as did John and his brothers.

"What's our next move?" James asked as he slowly approached the Council's pentagram-shaped table.

"Now," Tenebrion said, "we wait."

"Congratulations on getting your brother back," Anamalech said. "Welcome, middle child."

"Cut the crap," James said. "Once we get rid of Sabo, we're out of here. How do we do it?"

"There is a spell," Mastiphal explained, "hidden in both the Book of Shadows and the Book of Light. Only when the two books are together will the spell show itself. It must be read by both sides, good and evil, to contain the evil that has been unleashed."

Mastiphal held up the Book of Shadows while James held up the Book of Light. Within seconds, both books began to glow a strange orange color that gradually brightened until it completely illuminated the chamber. At the peak of the glowing, Mastiphal chanted, "_Ex Suum Ut Nostri_."Then, the light subsided and the books returned to normal.

"Did it work?" Matthew asked.

"One way to find out," James said as he opened the Book. "It's here. Right on the front page. Did it work for y'all?"

"Yes," Mastiphal said. "Better than we had hoped."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Matthew asked.

"We must prepare," Andras said. "Sabo must know by now that we are looking to destroy him. He will stop at nothing to let that happen. He must stand in between us and you all, good and evil, for the spell to work. The combined power of the spell should be sufficient enough to vanquish him."

"He's kind of strong," James said, rubbing his head as a testament. "It seems…"

His words were cut off as the entire chamber began to rumble and shake violently. John and the brothers were thrown to the ground, as the Council members managed to stay rooted to the floor. Before anyone could say anything further, Sabo materialized into the area, his eyes glowing a red like nothing ever seen before. They were so brilliant that they illuminated anything in their path, casting a reddish hue over everything. He shot an annoyed glance at the brothers and they immediately flew off the ground and into a solid stone wall. He turned his attention to John, who began to glimmer out of his path, but with a flick of his finger, John's glimmering lights exploded in a violent blaze. The Council members all raised their hands simultaneously and Sabo was blasted by an invisible force. The attack flung him across the chamber and into a wall, where he created a large imprint.

"John!" Wesley shouted as he shook his head. He turned to his brothers. "He killed John!"

* * *

_Pretty strong words to end a chapter with, don't y'all think? What's gonna happen next?_


	17. Barely Able To Escape

_Hello, everybody! It's me again, after another period of vacation-induced hiatus. Don't be mad at me for not getting this story done on time like I said! I'm really working hard on it, and even the next one!_

* * *

"We need to make sure we stay alive," James said, helping Matthew to his feet.

"Move him in between us and them," Matthew said to James.

James waved his hand at Sabo, who had since recovered. Nothing happened, though. James looked at his hand strangely, as if it had betrayed him. Sabo grinned fiendishly as he shot a hand out at James. James was sent flying backwards into Wesley, who tried his best to catch his oldest brother. The two tumbled to the ground as Matthew ran to help them. Sabo left them for the moment and turned to face the Council. His eyes flashed briefly and each of the members of the Council were thrown out of their seats and onto the ground. He extended an arm towards their pentagram-shaped table and it was instantly destroyed by a ball of intense black energy. Debris from the table flew everywhere. Matthew had grabbed his brothers by the arms and they all became transparent as the pieces flew through them.

"We need to incapacitate him," Matthew said. "It's the only way to stop him long enough to get anything done."

"How?" Wesley asked. "Our powers don't work here. There's nothing we can do."

"Ours don't," James said, pointing to the Council, "but _theirs_ do."

"Just because we can't use our powers on him," Matthew thought aloud, "doesn't mean that we can't use our powers _against_ him."

James raised his hand again, preparing to use his powers, but Sabo proved too quick for him and unleashed another energy ball at him. James had to change his course of action and used his powers to reflect the black projectile. However, his powers were weakened against Sabo, and instead of reflecting the attack back towards Sabo, the energy ball bounced off James' power and hit the ceiling above, causing a barrage of boulders to fall. Wesley hurriedly threw his hands out and froze the falling stones just before they hit James. Matthew dove in and pulled James out of the way as Wesley's powers gave in. The boulders crashed to the ground powerfully, but caused no one any harm.

Tenebrion began hurling fireballs at Sabo, but each fireball only forced him back a couple of steps, and they did not seem to cause any considerable damage. Nevertheless, he kept throwing them. Andras followed suit and released bolts of lightning from his hands, striking Sabo in the chest. Ardad regained his composure and joined his companions in fighting Sabo, as did Anamalech. Only Mastiphal remained. He had retreated to a remote corner with the Book of Shadows, opening it to the page with the spell that could vanquish Sabo.

James took notice of this and began helping the other Council members by using his powers to throw boulders at Sabo. He motioned with his free hand towards Mastiphal, giving Matthew and Wesley a signal. Matthew opened the Book of Light to the page with the spell.

"Don't we all need to say it for it to work?" Wesley asked.

"Yeah," Matthew answered. "We have to make Sabo sit still long enough for all eight of us to say the spell. I'm sure he'll be more than willing."

"Enough with the sarcasm," Wesley said. "We need to do something."

"Can't you freeze him?" Matthew asked.

"I've been trying," Wesley said. "Unless you thought I was having mini-seizures in my hands."

"Well we can't just keep going at him like this," Matthew reasoned. "Brute force won't work against him. We need a better planned…plan."

"Well spoken," Wesley said. "We don't have any time to do that. We have to think of something _now_!"

"What if we all used our powers on him at the same time?" Matthew suggested. "Maybe the combined power of the eight of us would be enough to slow him down."

"It's worth a shot," Wesley said, "but remember, our powers don't work on him."

"Maybe not individually," Matthew said, "but together we might be able to fend him off."

Matthew jumped up from his and Wesley's hiding spot and waved his hands to get anyone's attention, but the rest of the group was occupied with trying to fight Sabo. Unfortunately, everyone was fighting a losing battle, as Sabo seemed to be adjusting to everyone's attacks, allowing him to better protect himself.

"We need to get out into a more open space," Matthew suggested, "to a place where we can move more and he won't be so close."

"There's no way to do that," Wesley said. "We don't even know where we are right now."

"Let's get Jimmy back here," Matthew said. "I have an idea."

"Oh no," Wesley said to himself.

James was busily dodging Sabo's attacks while at the same time launching anything he could with his powers at his adversary. The members of the Council were doing the same thing, but their efforts were progressively growing futile as Sabo grew stronger. As James looked around for something else to throw, he miscalculated and was hit by one of Sabo's energy balls. He was jerked violently into the air and landed next to his brothers, barely breathing.

"Jimmy!" Wesley shouted.

"We have to get out of here," Matthew said, turning to Wesley. "I know you'll probably hate me for this, but you're gonna have to glimmer us all out of here to an open space."

"I WHAT?" Wesley exclaimed. "I can only…oh, no use arguing with you, I guess."

"Good," Matthew said, grabbing James' arm with his left hand and Wesley's in his right. "Take Jimmy's hand and we'll all concentrate on helping you use your power. Hang in there Jimmy."

"Hurry," James whispered.

Matthew quickly looked back at the Council and shouted as loudly as he could, "Follow us!" He turned back to his brothers and squeezed Wesley's arm. Wesley tried his best to clear his mind and think of himself glimmering to an open destination with his brothers. With the added support of his brothers, it wasn't very long before the three of them vanished from the room in a brilliant burst of dancing lights.

Mastiphal had heard Matthew's message and relayed it telepathically to his cohorts, who were still trying to hold Sabo back. They had not even noticed the Complete glimmer out of the chamber. As soon as they received Mastiphal's message, the five of them immediately vanished from the chamber, leaving Sabo partially confused.


	18. The End, Or The Beginning?

_Well, thank God I finally finished this story! I need to get my thoughts together so that I can continue this thing in a more timely and organized manner, so don't count me out yet! I wanted to strategically end this story around the same time as actual school was beginning, so that the timeline would work out kinda right… But I still got plans and aspirations! And as usual, I got jokes and jokes and jokes and jokes!_

_**chyp: **Thanx, as always, for staying true and reviewing my stuff, even when it seemed like the end was close! I really appreciate your support and your reviews, so keep them coming in the future! And enjoy the new school year and boy scout stuff, too!_

* * *

Wesley and his brothers appeared about fifteen feet above the ground in a park. A sea of lights signaled their arrival and they plummeted to the ground, landing hard. It was somewhat dark outside, so luckily no one was around to witness the event. They quickly examined their surroundings and realized that they were in a park, not too far away from downtown Atlanta. Soon after, the Council materialized next to them. As powerful as they were, they looked very tired and weary after battling Sabo. This was unsettling to the brothers; Sabo had proved to be a threat to the Council as well as themselves. The eight of them were all but exhausted, but Sabo seemed like he had not even begun to really fight.

"We needed a more open space," Matthew explained to the Council. "It should be harder for him to fight us all here."

"He will find us," Tenebrion said. "We must prepare ourselves before he arrives."

"Here's the plan," Matthew said, thinking on his feet. "It's simple, but it just might work. It's worked before. We'll go over there and…"

* * *

At the park, just minutes later, the ground began to rumble slightly and the leaves on the trees started to sway as the wind picked up speed, signaling Sabo's arrival. He appeared in a violent flash of light, his eyes glowing a fiery red. He looked around, but could see nothing. It was dark outside and nobody was around. But he had followed his adversaries' trails. They had to be here, but where?

"Show yourselves!" Sabo ordered as his voice echoed forcefully throughout the park. "It is only a matter of time before I find you and destroy you."

"Looking for me?" James said, walking out from behind a tree. "Listen, I don't know what your aim is, but we're prepared to stop you at all costs."

"Brave words," Sabo grinned, "but they will get you nowhere."

Sabo thrust a hand out toward James, who bravely stood his ground. He braced himself as a large blast of black matter flew towards his body. Instinctively, he threw his hands out in an attempt to deflect the attack with his telekinetic power, but it was to no avail. The blast hit him directly and James screamed in agony, but not before managing to signal something as he seemingly faded into nothing.

Wesley appeared from behind a bush and distracted Sabo, taunting him as Matthew crept behind him. Wesley's taunts received a vast amount of attacks that forced him to tap into his glimmering abilities far more than he had thought was possible. Every time, though, the event was automatic and instinctive, not intentional. No matter how hard he tried, Wesley could not fully control his power to glimmer; it was at this point purely triggered by panic.

"Keep trying!" Wesley yelled to Sabo. "You can't hit this!"

Sabo had become extremely angered by Wesley's consistent trash-talking, enough to the point where his attacks had become quicker and more erratic. He had focused all his attention on Wesley and had not even noticed Matthew sneaking behind him. Before he could realize it, Matthew had used his phasing power and jumped into Sabo. Almost immediately, Sabo's attacks on Wesley stopped. He had become out of control, shooting random blasts of energy into the air. As if it were a sign, the five members of the Council materialized into the area, surrounding Sabo. They all fired energy balls of their own at Sabo, who finally seemed to be weakening. Then, James emerged from his hiding spot and announced, "now!"

"I…destroyed…you!" Sabo shouted as best he could.

"Hurry!" Matthew's voice could be heard from within the demon. "Can't do this…much longer!"

Refusing to ease up on their attacks, the Council began chanting the spell, while James and Wesley joined in, reading from the Book of Light. Matthew had memorized the spell, and was also reciting it:

"_Nequam malum, unus quisnam  
Sto numerus vox e bonus quod malum,  
Superstes e alpha gens  
Ex plurrimi constupro vexamen.  
Permissum vestry vox per quod puter  
Per decretum e Concilim quod Universa;  
Levitas offendo qoud terra rugio,  
Ut utriusque latuseris vestry denique evinco!"_

The power of the spell, having been read by the most powerful forces of both good and evil, combined with the power of three, combined with the Council's unrelenting attacks, combined with Matthew's powers, was enough to break Sabo's will and destroy his power for good. Matthew was flung out of Sabo's body as the spell took effect. The Council members ceased their attacks and shielded their eyes as Sabo's body began to glow radiantly. It looked like daytime in the park, but it was the middle of the night. Sabo yelled fiercely as the power of the spell took control of his body. Sparks of blackness shot from his body in random directions as the glowing became even brighter. Light shone from his eyes and mouth as his body began to slowly disintegrate into nothing. After what seemed like a small eternity, Sabo's final cry signaled his violent vanquishing and the brilliant light exploded in a blaze of glory that marked Sabo's end. The explosion was so powerful that it knocked all eight of the others twenty feet into the air, throwing them all in different directions.

"Now," Wesley said, rubbing his backside, "_that_, my brothers, was a vanquish!"

"Best one I've seen," Matthew commented, standing up slowly.

"No arguments here," James said as Matthew helped him up. "Think it's over?"

"It better be," Matthew said. "I wouldn't have done the 'trick' if it was gonna be in vain."

"What exactly _do_ you do in there?" Wesley asked with a confused look.

"It's a secret," Matthew said, winking.

"Well, we still have the Council to…" James started to say, but his words were quickly cut off.

He turned to face the Council for at least a goodbye and an expression of gratitude, but they had disappeared. The brothers assumed that they had returned to their chamber.

"Didn't even say goodbye," Wesley said brashly.

"I guess it was for the best," Matthew said. "I mean, how awkward was it before, when we all had the common enemy? Now, any kind of confrontation would be retarded unless it was to, you know…"

"But we could've fought this out right here, right now," Wesley said. "At least we could've gotten it over with."

"I think evil is a little more insidious than that," Matthew said. "They're probably waiting for the right moment to take us down."

"Whatever it is," James said as he flipped through the Book with wide eyes, "it's gonna be good…"

* * *

_It's never good when a story ends like this. What exactly did James mean when he said, 'it's gonna be good…'? Something obviously seems wrong, but the only way to figure out what it is would be to patiently wait it out, while I sort things out myself! Thanx again for reading!_


End file.
